When Was Genesis Written

When was Genesis written? It is believed that Moses wrote Genesis ... and that would be many generations and a flood after Creation. If Moses did write Genesis and the following books, how did he know what to write ... by copying older manuscripts or verbal tradition,, or by God dictating?

Most Bible scholars believe Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. He was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write. See 2 Peter 1:19-21. The word "prophecy" means teaching or preaching.If one doesn't accept the teaching that God inspired the writing of the Bible, then we have no sure guide. I choose to believe the Protestant Bible to be the infallible word of God.

I decided to look up the Hebrew spelling, and was surprised to find that it actually does start with the letter Chet, so it would be pronounced "Chanoch" (or possibly "Chenoch"). Eloy's spelling with "H" is actually more correct than the one without it.

(And yes, Eloy, I am perfectly happy to admit that your'e right when you're right.)

Of course people in heaven can see things here, and do many other things here. I suppose they could even write things down. However, the bible makes ABSOLUTELY NO mnetion of Enoch doing ANY of these things after he ascended to heaven. The idea that he did so (and even more so, returned back to earth to hand-deliver the Torah) is 100% pure supposition.

And despite all your protests, and after several requests, you STILL continue to avoid the question of what Jesus meant by John 5:46.

Alan, A person in heaven can easily see persons on earth. And when a person in heaven has everlasting life they can easily write things that happen in details to the people on the earth from any time and on any generations.

cluny, I am going to cease further replying to you because you only dis what I post, and you ask me questions only for the purpose to dis what I answer and not because you truly desire to know the truth. For now I will focus on those truly seeking the truth, and I will redeem the time, and when you decide to become one of these then you too will become gladly communicated by me.

There are NO relevant scriptures that say Moses DID NOT write the Pentateuch, or that Enoch wrote ANYTHING, so there is nothing to contradict.

Jews believe Moses wrote it, and Pharisees said so when speaking to Jesus, and he did not disagree. Why do you think YOU are the only Christian in 2000 years to get it right?

I do not ask questions to "dis what you post", just to challenge your unsubstantiated claims. I am happy to accept proof about "strange theories", because it is wrong to believe something "just because everybody else did" (if we did, we would all still be pagans). Unfortunately, most scriptures you quote in proof of your theories don't even come close to the burden of proof.

strongax, Detach yourself from lie, and turn and accept the truth. For there is a huge difference between the truth which says, "Moses wrote about Christ", and the lie which says, "Moses wrote the whole first five books of the old testament." Just as there is a huge difference between the truth which says, "Eloy wrote on Christianet", and the lie which says, "Eloy wrote the whole Christianet". Read and accept the evident scriptures, and not the discrepant lies which contradict the proven scriptures.

strongax, I am going to cease further replying to you because you only dis what I post, and you ask me questions only for the purpose to dis what I answer and not because you truly desire to know the truth. For now I will focus on those truly seeking the truth, and I will redeem the time, and when you decide to become one of these then you too will become gladly communicated by me.

Instead of avoiding the matter by hurling insults, please explain, according to your own thinking, just what Jesus meant when he said "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me." (John 5:46)?To just which writings of Moses was he referring, and if these were not the Pentateuch, why did nobody ever mention them before?

I am also very curious just where you get your theory that Enoch wrote the Pentateuch because the Bible makes zero mention of him writing it either, and zero mention of him returning to earth to deliver it to man either. Mormons believe in scriptures hand-delivered by intermediaries from heaven. Christians don't.

Alan, It may be that the reason the idea started erroneously attributing the writing of the first five books of the o.t. to Moses is because gave us the ten commandments from God. But the fact is there is zero evidence that Moses wrote the first five books of the o.t., and also clear recorded proof that he did not write them, and also there's strong evidence that Henoch was the writer of the first five books of the o.t., just as I have cited the scriptures below.

I was saved 34 years ago (or rather, I became aware of that fact. I, and every other Christian, was saved almost 2000 years ago, at a hill outside Jerusalem, at the utterance of the words "It is finished".)

In Exodus 34:1: "wktbti" = "and I will write". This is the first person singular, so "I" is always implied, even though it is not written. This is the same in all strongly inflected languages. In Spanish, "soy mexicano" means "I am a Mexican", even though "I" is not necessary, it is implied by the verb "soy". In Hebrew, first and second person pronouns are usually omitted, except for emphasis, or when a verb is not present (as in the present tense, which is indicated by a participle which does not indicate person, or with "to be" which is usually totally omitted, as in "anochi elohim" ("I [am] God"))

Cluny and I refer to light (i.e. words ACTUALLY WRITTEN in the Bible, spoken by JESUS HIMSELF) that explicitly say Moses wrote the Pentateuch (at least parts referring to Jesus).

You may find scriptures you interpret to mean Moses didn't write it or Enoch wrote it, yet the Bible never says either. (Note that "prophesied" does not mean "wrote", many prophets spoke, and their prophecies were recorded by others).

I (and hopefully most other Christians) go by what the Bible actually says, rather than making dubious leaps of logic about things it doesn't.

You can continue to stumble around in the dark grasping for clues that aren't there, or you can see what is plainly visible in the light.

micha9344, There is no hebrew pronoun "aniy", "I" nor "atiy", "you" written in the second half of verse 1 of Exodus 34. But the Hebrew word in Ex.34:1 is "wkethabethy", "and bring to mark" < w= "and" + kethabeth= "mark" + atha= "bring". Thus lit.Hb:..., and bring to mark upon tables the words that were in the first tables which you broke." And we know that Moses wrote on these second tables because later in the same Exodus chapter 34, it cleary states in verses 27 and 28 that Moses, and Not God wrote the commandments on the tables.

Yes, God wrote the commandments on the stone tablets. But that is only a tiny fraction of the Pentateuch.

And regardless of how you happen to split hairs over Dt 10:3-4 (a verse I never even quoted anyway), how do you deal with the fact that Jesus HIMSELF said Moses wrote? (John 5:46)

Also "wyktb" is vav-consecutive third person singular perfect - i.e. "and he wrote" (i.e. "and God wrote" here). However, there is no reason to use "who" or "whom" here (besides which "whom wrote" is never valid English in any context - it's always "who wrote").

"3) Lastly, Moses rewrites the commandments that he broke- Ex.34:1,4,27,28+ Dt.10:3,4."-EloyExodus 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon [these] tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.You err greatly Eloy, ascribing to man what God has done.

strongax, The verse you quoted does NOT say Moses wrote the Penteteuch:1) First, God himself wrote the commandments- Ex.31:18+ 32:16+ Dt.9:10. 2) Then, Moses cast down the commandments and broke them- Ex.32:19+ Dt.9:17.3) Lastly, Moses rewrites the commandments that he broke- Ex.34:1,4,27,28+ Dt.10:3,4.

Note: Dt.10:4 has an English mistranslation. The Hebrew word is "wykethab", "and whom wrote" < w= connecting word "and" + yth= "whom" + kethab= "wrote". Same word found in Jer.36:32, "who wrote", and "yth" found in Dn.3:12, "whom you have set up."

cluny, NOWHERE does scripture say that Moses wrote the first five books of the O.T. Instead it reads, "Henoch prophesied, saying, Here, the Lord comes with 10,000 of his saints." Jude 14, and Henoch's prophecy which Moses spoke, Henoch recorded, "The Lord came with 10,000 of saints. Moses commanded us a law." Dt.33:2,4.Why is that?

Deuteronomy 33:2,4: "The Lord came with 10,000 of saints...Moses commanded us a law." Since this reads, "MOSES commanded US a law", and NOT "I commanded YOU a law, we know that Moses did not write this in Deuteronomy 33. So whom then did write this prophecy? Scripture tells us whom in Jude 14: "Henoch prophesied saying, The Lord comes with 10,000 of his saints."

Eloy ... You said "Henoch wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, and not Moses"

So Henoch wrote Genesis and Exodus before most of the events narrated in those books..I've asked you to expalin how this can be and you refer to Enoch's rapture, but you now seem to have changed what you say to "God's spoken and documented words were delivered to the people through his holy prophets"

Alan, A raptured person is a perosn whom is taken up to heaven while still alive and is given everlasting life. I have posted below: "Now Henoch was raptured by God when he was 365 years old, and so he could record the Scriptures of what Moses both said and did." Genesis 5:24: "And Henoch lived a godly life, and was no more, for God raptured him away."

\\The first books document the record of Moses, but in reading them you can see that it is not written in the first person, as, "I told Pharaoh...", but instead it is written, "Moses told Pharaoh..."(Ex.5:1).\\

This means nothing. Most of the Bible is written in the third person, yet nobody doubts that, for example Jonah wrote the book that bears his name.

\\ Now Henoch was raptured by God when he was 365 years old, and so he could record the Scriptures of what Moses both said and did.\\

kathr4453, the poster is asking about Genesis, not the Law which came after Moses was born in 1605 B.C. Henoch wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, and not Moses. Moses was not even born yet until 2,589 years after Adam was created. The first books document the record of Moses, but in reading them you can see that it is not written in the first person, as, "I told Pharaoh...", but instead it is written, "Moses told Pharaoh..."(Ex.5:1). Now Henoch was raptured by God when he was 365 years old, and so he could record the Scriptures of what Moses both said and did.

Many scholars accept the testimony of scripture at face value, and affirm Moses authored the first five books of the Old Testament.

Jesus and Paul both confirm Moses authored the book (Jn. 7:19 and Romans 10:19). The Old Testament claims he wrote it as seen in Exodus (17:14, 24:4, and 34:27 Numbers (33:2) and Deut (31:19). New Testament claims are made at Luke (24:44) and 1 Corinthians (9:9).

Moses spent alot of time with God on that mountain. Can you prove the only thing they talked about were the 10 commandments.

Paul too spent time with God on the side of a mountain talking about things Paul said many things were unlawful for him to utter.

Jesus created Adam the first man in 4194 B.C. And in the 7th generation of man, Adam told his great great great great grandson Henoch about the creation. And I believe that in the 36th century B.C. Henoch wrote down what Adam told him firsthand in a book. Henoch was godly and walked with Jesus, and Jesus raptured him. Thus Genesis was written in the Middle East in ancient Hebrew from the 36th century B.C. by Henoch in 3507 B.C. (ref: Gen.5:1,24+ Ex.17:14+ 31:18+ 32:15,16,19+ 34:1,4,27-29+ Deut.6:4-9).

Alan: Is it just possible Moses wrote Genesis, etc., during the 40 years he & the children of Israel wandered around in the wilderness? Yes, it's very likely "God" told Moses specifically what to write.

I believe, along with ancient oral generation-to-generation verbal accounts, Moses received specific, first-hand dictations from the most competent Source in the universe & beyond. What say you?

\\Their is no date to when genesis was written because moses didnt write genesis because moses never existed he is a allegorical figure the bible was written in 1611 by king james of england and his menions. The bible is not as old as people think. its actually recent. Dont take my word for it just google king james bible 1611!---Pharoah_amenhotep on 10/15/10\\

The very name MOSES is Egyptian. If you were who you claimed to be, you would know this.

And the Bible existed before the KJV of 1611. In fact, the KJV was not even the first English translation.

And you'd be more likely to be taken seriously if you could spell and punctuate properly (for example, the word is "minions" without an E).

The English bible we use was compiled in 1611, but there were other English versions before that, and there have been many other versions in other languages much earlier. We have existent manuscripts of both old and new testaments from several centuries AD - and from the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are fragments of every old testament book (except Esther), and those date to about 1-2 centuries B.C. So even though we can't tell for sure when those books were first written, they were written AT LEAST 2100 years ago, and probably quite a lot earlier.

Their is no date to when genesis was written because moses didnt write genesis because moses never existed he is a allegorical figure the bible was written in 1611 by king james of england and his menions. The bible is not as old as people think. its actually recent. Dont take my word for it just google king james bible 1611!

"The Lord spake unto Moses" direct quote 105 times between Exo 6:10 and Deu 32:48."The Lord said unto Moses" direct quote 55 times between Exo 4:4 and Deu 31:16.This does not include all the indirect quotes.Exo 6:2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I [am] the LORD:Deu 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Cluny, you do not know the eternal Logos, for his name Jesus appears in the o.t. Yhwh is Yeshuah: Jesus is God: "Who will give Yeshuah up to Israel out of Zion: when Yhwh turns the captivity of his people, Iaakob will rejoice, Israel will be glad. He will call on me, and I will answer him: I with him in distress, I will rescue him and honor him. Length of days will I satisfy him, and will make him see my Yeshuah. Note, God my Yeshuah, I will trust and not fear: for Yh Yhwh, my strength and song, he also is become my salvation. Note, Yhwh has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, Note, your Yeshuah comes: note, his reward with him, and his recompense forward by him." Ps.14:7+ 91:15,16+ Is.12:2+ 62:11.

Most of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) is thought to be written by Moses in the 15th century B.C. Deuteronomy 34:5-12 was probably written by Joshua. There were incomplete oral stories, and perhaps partially written accounts available, but God would have had to give Moses the majority of the story. And He approved it. Isaiah 55:11, 2Timothy 3:16-17, 2Peter 1:20-21.

John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.This can be applied to any person.Of course, any statement you make can be justified, so really no need to discuss further.I understand that you are always right.

If one believes that Moses received the "Ten Commandments" by divine revelation, then one can just as readily believe that God revealed to Moses the content of Genesis. [Although there are many speculations}....Moses wrote Genesis perhaps around 1445 B.C. The Book of Genesis is a thoroughly unique document. It is not the only ancient literary work to survive the centuries of time, but it stands heads and shoulders above all the others. The great questions of life, Genesis. [1] where have I come from {1:1], [2] why am I here [15:6], and [3] where am I going [25:8]?

Jesus created Adam the first man in 4194 B.C. And in the 7th generation of man, Adam told his great great great great grandson Henoch about the creation. And I believe that in the 36th century B.C. Henoch wrote down what Adam told him firsthand in a book. The Scripture was written in the Middle East in ancient Hebrew from the 36th century B.C. by Henoch in 3507 B.C. (ref: Gen.5:1,24+ Ex.17:14+ 31:18+ 32:15,16,19+ 34:1,4,27-29+ Deut.6:4-9). Henoch was godly and walked with Jesus, and Jesus raptured him.

Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.Gen 8:4-5 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth [month], on the first [day] of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.Gen 8:13a And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first [month], the first [day] of the month,Gen 8:14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. Sounds quite 'day-by-day' to me.

Moses did talk personally with the LORD. So, he and God could have prepared Genesis together, with or without manuscripts and oral tradition. Moses was used by God to bring the Jews out of Egypt, so they then could move into the promised land and live as God's nation, there. So, the time of the leadership of Moses would possibly have been the right time to establish scriptures that were officially understood to be God's word for the Jews.

As I understand it, the first five books of the Bible are what the Jews and Apostles considered to be the "Law of Moses" . . . what the Jews call the Torah, or "Law". So, establishing Genesis and these other books, at the time of Moses' leadership, would be very significant.

Alan, There's no evidence of writing "pre-flood" The oldest known writing was cuneiform on clay tablets..not a language but "pictographic" then the Egyptian hieroglyphics.. no alphabetic language 'till about 3,000 BCE! Early Hebrew was very difficult since there were no vowels (they were added orally)